Ugh, seriously!
Why does everything keep going wrong?!
Everything I've tried lately has completely backfired!
"Well, apparently there are other methods listed besides taking Patience, but they're not recommended," Lars said in his usual laid-back manner.
Who does he think is the reason I'm going through this?!
Ugh, so irritating.
Calm down, me. I am a proud vampire. I mustn't let something like this rattle me.
For now, just to settle my nerves, I'll read about the method Lars mentioned.
『By acquiring the Skill "Detection" and activating it, you can also earn a large amount of Proficiency in Heterodox Resistance. However, be aware that in that case, you must raise your Heterodox Resistance all the way to Heterodox Immunity before you can use magic again. Worst case scenario, you could die, so honestly, it's not recommended.』
"That's a no-go."
Lars made a puzzled face, but this is absolutely not an option.
Because that method says Master could die?!
MASTER could die!
There's no way a method that says even that beyond-the-rules super-being could die is any good.
If it's the kind of method where Master could "worst case die," then for any normal person, it's definitely the kind where you'd die ninety-nine times out of a hundred.
Without a doubt.
"Sure, not being able to use magic would be pretty inconvenient."
"That's not the point."
I don't know why exactly you'd lose the ability to use magic, but compared to the risk of dying, that's nothing.
Hm? Wait.
A lady really shouldn't be saying "that's nothing," should she?
It sounds dumb and has not a shred of dignity.
Let me stop using that expression out loud from now on.
"You mean because I could die?"
"The reason I'm phrasing it as 'Master could die' is because that's from Master's standards. For us average folks, the moment we tried the same method, we'd be looking at instant death."
Yeah, during training, Master's insanity was more than enough for me. If
Master has no sense of what's normal for ordinary people. She comes at you with "you can totally do this, right?!" energy while trying to kill you.
"S-Sure. Then let's just write that method off."
"Sensible."
I flip through the rest of the book, but there's nothing more written about farming Proficiency in Heterodox Resistance.
In that case, taking hits from Heterodox Magic really is the best option, isn't it.
Honestly, I wish Master wouldn't write unnecessary things.
"If Patience is out and Detection is out, then we'll have to use Heterodox Magic after all."
At my words, Lars made a disgusted face.
Well, I'm not thrilled about it either, but if it'll earn us resistances, there's no better option.
Besides, fortunately for me, I have Pain Immunity and Pain Nullification.
No matter what the attack, if I can't feel it, it's no big deal.
"You should do it too, right? I'll acquire Heterodox Magic as well, so let's cast spells on each other."
I selected Heterodox Magic from the list and acquired it.
I still have plenty of Skill Points, so it should be fine to grab it.
Though, if I just wanted to raise Lars's Heterodox Resistance, I could use my Charm on him. But there's a risk I might end up putting him fully under the spell instead.
By the way, just to be safe, I also checked whether I could acquire Patience, but I apparently don't have enough Skill Points.
I checked the other Dominator skills too, but the only one I could acquire was Lust.
And even that would consume most of my remaining Skill Points.
Honestly, I'm not keen on acquiring it. The risk and cost far outweigh the return.
"All right, let's begin."
"You're actually going through with this?"
"What kind of obvious question is that?"
At my words, Lars let out a heavy sigh.
And then, in silence, we started casting Heterodox Magic on each other.
The silence was because we had no breath to spare for talking.
Honestly, I underestimated this.
What we're using right now is Heterodox Magic Level 1: Discomfort.
True to its name, it's a spell that inflicts discomfort on the target.
The effect is so subtle I'd never bothered using it before, but wow, this spell is nasty.
It's like constantly hearing the sound of claws scraping across a blackboard — an unbearable wave of discomfort just keeps crashing over you.
And Pain Immunity and Pain Nullification are completely useless against it.
Looking at Lars, his face has gone pale and he's covered in goosebumps.
I must be in a similar state.
It's a spell of questionable use in combat, but being on the receiving end could certainly crush your will to fight.
It's a subtly devious spell. Perfect for harassment.
"Has your resistance gone up?"
"Not yet."
"I reached Greater Heterodox Resistance Level 1."
"Good for you."
A brief exchange.
Then, more silence.
What even is this? Some kind of punishment game?
This is painful in a completely different way from getting beaten up by Master.
Seriously, what kind of situation is it when a man and woman are in the same room, silently staring at each other, both with faces as pale as death?
And since it's a Level 1 spell, or maybe because Lars is weakened, my resistance is going up painfully slowly.
Having already been at Greater Heterodox Resistance Level 6 probably doesn't help either.
Lars is currently weakened, with reduced stats.
When I Appraised him, his maximum values haven't decreased, so he should recover eventually.
Apparently he was attacked by some entity called "Black." It was apparently necessary to suppress his Rage.
But being weakened like this and still feeling this much discomfort — if we did this at full strength, wouldn't it be enough to drive us insane?
Thinking about it that way, maybe it's a good thing he's weakened?
I'm not confident I could endure any more discomfort than this.
Oh, wait.
I'm not weakened, am I?
And yet here I am, using magic just fine?
"S-Sorry... I've hit my limit..."
Lars collapsed, and the day's Proficiency farming was forcibly brought to a close.